Poop is definitely not a topic we like to talk about in public because, well, it’s poop (spoils mouth). But today, we will be talking about this vital part of living.
Pooping is one of nature’s call to emptying your bowels and flushing out unwanted waste in the body and how often your bowels get cleaned up is dependent on certain factors like changes in schedule, decreased fluids, lack of fibre and less fresh fruits and veggies.
Poop is actually around 75 % water and according to the University of Massachusetts, the remaining parts are made from a mixture of dead bacteria that helped us to digest our food, living bacteria, protein, indigestible fibre, and waste materials from the liver and intestines.
So, exactly how often do I need to poop?
Well, while some people have developed some sort of poop habit that makes them poop every day and at a particular time of the day, others can poop any time and any day, perhaps 2-3 times in a week.
I’m sure you’re probably wondering right now, which of these 2 habits is healthy?
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Now, this takes us back to our topic, Should I be worried if I do not poop every day?
You see, when it comes to “pooping and normal,” the normal range spans three times a day to once every three days, meaning the average person poops approximately once a day, as reported by Live Science.
This means that contrary to what we think, we don’t have to poop every day to be referred to normal. According to a study in the journal Gut, most people have irregular bowel habits and in fact, less than half of us routinely poop daily.
Although pooping less than once every three days qualifies as constipation, it’s usually not that serious. But it can be painful and uncomfortable—partly because after three days, stool gets harder and more difficult to pass.
Inadequate fibre, veggies or fluid intake, overuse of caffeine and alcohol, medications, chronic laxative abuse, mental issues (like depression), certain foods, and various diseases are common causes of such conditions and be treated by getting lots of fibre (nuts, whole grains, and fruit are all good sources) and water can help with a more frequent bowel movement in order to avoid slight constipation like this.
So, unless you are having trouble passing your stools, abdominal bloating, pellet-like stools and the likes and as long as your poops are easy to pass, painless, and show no signs of being unhealthy (blood in stool, or strange colours) then you are absolutely fine and normal, as there is no cause for alarm if you do not poop daily.
Now in clear terms, should I be worried if I do not poop every day? The answer is NO! As long as when you eventually do, it isn’t hard, painful or any of that.
